


One More Tomorrow

by Tinyshot



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Hurt/Comfort, More Fluff, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Smut, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-10 16:18:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6994774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinyshot/pseuds/Tinyshot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Random oneshots and side stories. Always WIP. Crack, fluff, smut, more crack.</p><p>All aboard the Brotherhood beefcakes ship!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Loose Screw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Loose Screw
> 
> in which Anna and Danse uncover Arthur Maxson’s secret stash of romance novels.
> 
> F!Sole/Paladin Danse, F!Sole/Arthur Maxson from the [Silver and Steel](http://archiveofourown.org/series/446311) series.

 

“Well, fuck.”

“... sorry. It was a reflex.”

Anna groaned and scanned the dusty floor. No sign of the damn screw. Final Judgement was sitting next to them on the table, and it was looking _judgemental_.

“You know it’s not safe to fire this thing unless it’s capacitor is secure. Might trigger the core overload.”

“Yes,” mumbled Danse, getting down on his knees. He put his head down almost to the floor, trying to spy the small piece of metal that had gone astray.

Anna did the same thing, lighting up her Pip-boy. She kicked the Paladin’s firm ass while she was at it, annoyed.

“Don’t you ever try to catch the screw again.”

Instead of watching where the damn thing landed, Danse tried to grab it in mid-air. It bounced of his palm and disappeared in an unknown direction.

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered meekly. Danse looked pretty miserable. He was crawling under the table, his hands searching the floor, thick black brows furrowed in concentration.

“I’m going to look under here,” Anna said, her voice muffled as she poked her head under the bed. She squeezed herself under the creaky narrow bunk and squinted. Layer of dust under here was pretty thick. Lowering her head down, she pushed herself in some more, spying a tiny line in the dust.

“Aha!”

Her exclamation lifted up a cloud of dust and she sneezed hard. Rubbing her eyes, she found the tiny trace again, and followed it until she found the small silvery screw. Anna plucked it carefully out of the dust, and her fingers brushed against some fabric.

She quirked her eyebrow. This kind of looked like a T-shirt. Maybe Arthur dropped it under here and never noticed? Anna pulled on it with her free hand. It was heavier than she thought. And now she was seeing that there was more than one.

It was _something_ wrapped inside a few T-shirts and... boxers? Something heavy. Something square. A book. Or several.

While Anna knew about his secret stash of comic book issues (and added to it as well), she didn’t know he owned any books that needed hiding. Even from her.

 _Especially_ from her. She grinned.

Wiggling herself out from under the bed, she pulled out the bundle with her. It was covered in dust, but it was nothing compared to her own uniform. She sneezed again, almost dropping the tiny screw.

“Shit. Danse, I got it. Can you put it back in?”

“Sure thing,” he sounded thoroughly relieved. Picking it up extremely carefully out of her palm, Danse quickly placed it back in the socket where it belonged and screwed it back in. He was holding his breath all the time he worked on it.

Anna was half tempted to clap over his ear and make him jump. But she had no desire to crawl through the dust again, so she let him be. For now. Revenge would come, it always does.

Instead she shook herself off as much as she could and focused her attention on the bundle. Anna slowly unwrapped it, trying not to disturb more dust. There were a couple of books inside. The faded cover of the first one read ‘T-45 Maintenance Manual’. That was rather anticlimactic.

But when she picked it up, she felt it shift and almost fall apart in her fingers. She quickly realized why - the cover wasn’t really attached to the binding. Anna smirked. He had to have a reason to do this. She removed the fake cover. The first page was torn and there was no title left, but she could still make out the name of the author: Tessa Lauren. Anna shrugged.

Opening it on a random page, she read the first line her eyes had landed on.

_"I don't believe we're acquainted," he rasped as he stared at her heaving bosom, straining the confines of her tightly cinched corset._

She blinked. Oh, no way. She read the line again. And again. Anna then quickly glanced through the pages, noting the similar cringeworthy lines all across the yellowish paper.

She notice Danse creeping up behind her and reading the same page over her shoulder; she held it up a bit higher for him. Turning her head to look at the Paladin, she saw a reflection of her own face-splitting grin on his lips.

Elder Arthur Maxson, the hope and pride of the Brotherhood, was reading _romance_ novels. _Bad_ romance novels.

“He is _not_ living this down.”

“Nope.”

Old paper clicked and crackled under Anna’s fingertips as she flipped through the text, finding another page. She cackled and Danse huffed in annoyance in her ear. The book was shaking with her body and he couldn’t make out anything.

“Read it out loud.”

“No fucking way,” retorted Anna, quickly glancing over the page, “nope, nope, _nope_.”

“Come on. Imagine his face if he hears it.”

Anna only made Arthur blush once, as far as she could remember. She grinned. Oh yes, that would be a sight to behold. Persuaded, she sat down on the bed and cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“"You could have been killed," he muttered, pulling her tightly against his chest. "That beast cares naught for you."”

She made her voice sound pretty much the same way like it did when she wore the Shroud disguise. Danse let out a hearty laugh, sitting down beside her.

“"And you do?" she replied, lifting one delicate eyebrow.”

She giggled. Her own cheeks tingled with warmth. That was rather embarrassing to read out loud.

“"Yes, dammit." His voice was raw with passion. And then his mouth covered hers and his tongue plunged inside, igniting the embers of her desire.”

Danse hummed, watching her intensely. Anna flipped through the book again, opening another page. Oh, that was _juicy_.

“She could feel his member pressed against her backside as he pulled her against his chest.”

Danse shifted, sliding down from the bed on the floor. Anna peeked at him over the book with curiosity. He lifted his eyebrow nonchalantly.

“Keep reading.”

She grinned. Finding the next sentence took her a few seconds during which Danse’s fingers slipped up her body and found a zipper in the front.

“"I told you not to wear those breeches in front of my men," he growled.“

Her zipper slid down with a quiet murmur, releasing her body.

“"And what are you going to do about it, Captain Stone?"“

She had to put the book to the side while she quickly peeled her jumpsuit off her upper body, letting it drop to her hips. Danse pulled it even lower with a sharp tug that also took her panties with it, caught in the fabric of the suit.

Anna bit her lip in anticipation, eyeing the man while he positioned himself between her legs. Danse shot a glance sideways, and she giggled, picking the book back up.

“"I will punish you like I would any other wench who disobeyed my command. Your father be damned."”

She could feel Danse’s rough fingers sliding up her thighs, spreading them apart wider. His hot breath was on her lower lips in just a second and her entire body shuddered when his tongue slid up her slit. Anna let out a quiet whine, but Danse stopped. Looking at him over the top of the book, she met his dark eyes.

“I said, keep reading.”

His voice was harsh and commanding now. Anna swallowed hard, feeling a rush of heat to her cheeks and her lower regions.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered, breathless. Closing her eyes for a moment to brace herself, she continued. “Without waiting for a reply, Tristan s-scooped her into h-his arms…”

She was rewarded with his tongue returning to her clit. He flicked it just right, making her squirm and moan. His hands on her hips tightened, steadying her.

“Annngh… and carried her... off to h-his cabin.”

The book slipped out of her weakened fingers, and fell to the floor. Danse growled low in his throat, sending a shiver through her body. He reached out and picked it up, having to remove his mouth from her aching pussy. Thrusting the book into her hands, he looked at her expectantly.

“Read.”

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she opened the book again.

“She watched Tristan as he mann-ngh-ed the wheel, oh shit-t right there... the storm tearing his s-shirt until it - oh… ooh - was h-hanging in shreds around him...”

She was breathing heavily, trying to keep her voice more or less steady. The Paladin had a wicked tongue. He lapped at her throbbing clit, putting just the right amount of pressure. And then he pressed his lips over it and sucked, eliciting a loud moan from Anna.

“S-she clung to the edge… ahhhh... re… regretting terribly that s-she h-hadn’t… she hadn’t list- nnnngh… listened... to his orders t-to stay... in the c-cabin...”

Words blurred in front of her eyes. She tried to focus her vision, but her eyes closed on their own accord, and she tilted her head back, rolling closer and closer to the peak.

Son of a bitch stopped when he noticed that she fell silent. Anna gave out a frustrated groan, and Danse answered with a low laugh, sending delicious shivers through her pussy.

“He spotted her and… and his face d… darkened with ahhhh-ahhhh-anger…”

She had to screw her eyes shut for a moment, grasping desperately onto her fleeting composure.

“...but she felt drawn-nnnnh... drawn to him regardless-ssss, please, just… ahhhh… and wh-when she approached... he pulled h-her safely between his… his _hard_ body... ahhhh… and the wheel... “I t-told you... to stay below!”

Two long fingers slipped inside, almost sending her over the edge. Anna sucked in a sharp breath. Almost...

““I’m sorry...” s-she tried… tried... to say, b… but he covered h-her mouth... with his... and… ahhhhnd… shit, Danse… ahhhhhh!..”

She barely registered the door opening as she arched backwards, her body singing, taught with pleasure.

Anna fell backwards on the bed, clutching the book to her chest, trying to regain some semblance of control.

“Would you two keep it down?” Arthur sounded highly annoyed. Danse barked out a laugh.

“Not so fun being the listener, I see?”

“It’s not that and you know it.”

Anna poked Danse with her foot and shot him a warning glance when he caught her gaze. She tapped the book on her chest and grinned. Paladin smirked back.

“Sorry, Arthur… we just found some _very_ interesting to read.”

They watched as deep flush colored the young Elder’s face. He opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed like he lost his voice. Arthur looked like a fish out of the water while both Anna and Danse roared with laughter.

Arthur darted towards her, reaching for the book. Danse was ready for the feat, however, and charged him, knocking him away from the bed. Anna jumped up, still feeling slightly unsteady on her legs and was on the other side of the room in a moment.

Sticking her tongue out, she waved the book over her head.

“Come and get it!”

Opening the book on a random page, she started reading again.

“Violet stood in awe as she watched the stallion mount the mare. She felt her face flush hot. For some reason, the view before her reminded of Lord Winston. She wondered if husbands mounted their wives that way…”

Arthur wrestled himself away from Danse, leaving his coat in Paladin’s hands and ran around the table towards Anna while she retreated at his approach, but not quite fast enough.

“You both are… I’ll… I’ll throw you both in the brig!” He was so flushed and flustered he started stumbling over his own words. Anna giggled and extended her hand, keeping it just enough away for him not to be able to get a hold of the book.

He grabbed her by the back of the tank top and pulled. She resisted, but it was like trying to move a boulder and the fabric crackled under the pressure.

So instead she dropped down to her knees and slid the book down under the table towards Danse. The other man grabbed it from the floor and opened it, grinning from ear to ear.

“He pulled her close, her breasts flush against his chest. “Are you alright, milady?””

With a groan of frustration Arthur let go of Anna and had to run around the table again. She grabbed him by the legs as he went, slowing him down. He had to drag her behind him on the floor.

Danse roared with laughter and lifted the book high above his head and kept reading, pushing Arthur away blindly with other hand.

““Yes…” she whispered, looking up into his steely eyes. His expression made her faint and she leaned back. He hitched her closer, and then their mouths crashed together. Their need could no longer be denied…”

“Give it back, Paladin! That’s a damn order!” yelled completely red-faced Arthur.

Instead, Danse threw the book at Anna, who retreated on the other side of the table. She caught it in mid-air. A few loose pages went flying across the room.

With a feral roar Arthur threw the table in the middle of the room aside, sending all the contents to the floor, his gatling laser and all. The weapon crashed into the floor with a deafening thump and Arthur jumped over the scattered papers and snatched the damn book out from Anna’s hand.

Only then did he notice that both her and Danse went completely still.

“Crap,” muttered Danse, looking at the turned over table.

“Weren’t there other screws?..” whispered Anna.

They looked at each other.

“ _Fuck_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to tess1978 for her help with the romance novel bits :3


	2. But the Prize

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But the Prize,
> 
> in which Anna, Arthur and Danse play various games. Like, actual games.
> 
> F!Sole/Arthur Maxson, F!Sole/Paladin Danse from the [Silver and Steel](http://archiveofourown.org/series/446311) series.

She looked like a dragon, decided Arthur.

Dragons would sprawl over their riches, gold and gems and suits of armor; lounging seemingly uncomfortable, yet undeniably in power and control. Demonstrating ownership.

The same way she lounged on Danse’s lap, her head was propped up on his shoulder, her arm lazily draped over his neck. But at the same time, her long legs extended under the table, laying possessively over Arthur’s thighs. They were playing chess, her and Danse against him.

An old pre-war set, carved from ivory, with almost all the pieces intact. He found it years ago in one of the collapsed sections of the Citadel. Must have belonged to someone important. When Anna tried to describe him a creature - an elephant - from whose tusks the pieces were carved from, Arthur was baffled.

Bizarre things like that surely could not have existed. They didn’t seem any more real than the dragons.

“Check,” he said, capturing a bishop with his queen.

Anna hummed, scratching her chin thoughtfully. Danse leaned over to whisper something in her ear and she shook her head.

The Prydwen groaned, shuddering from stem to stern. Arthur’s head jerked up, looking around. A massive radstorm kept everyone inside the ship or airport ruins, and it was going on for two days straight, relentless.

When he looked back at the board, something was a bit off.

“That pawn wasn’t there,” he pointed to one of the pieces. Anna raised her eyebrow.

Danse’s ears flared. Arthur chuckled. Danse was a _terrible_ liar.

“I don’t know anything about that,” she shrugged, meeting his eyes. Convincing, but not with Danse nervously looking to the side behind her.

Arthur shook his head and reached out to remove the pawn. Anna slapped his hand away.

“It was there.”

Rolling his eyes, he tried again, and she deflected him again, but more clumsily, this time, hitting a lot of other pieces in the process. And a second later they clattered on the metal floor.

“Hey, this set if over two hundred years old.”

“What isn’t these days?” Anna disentangled herself from Danse and stretched, picking up her Pip-Boy from the table. While Arthur and Danse looked for the missing pieces and reset the board, she turned the knob, and a familiar music came out of it. The Red Menace.

“Practicing for the next tournament?” smirked Arthur, “don’t even hope.”

This time, it was Anna’s turn to roll eyes at him.

With nothing better to do during the storm, the crew ponied up a bit of caps, quite a bit of caps, actually, and decided to have a small tournament in the lounge under the main deck. Ingram and Teagan put their heads together and came up with a small prize in addition to the caps - a small figurine made of scrapped silver, a miniature Prydwen.

They expected to have some good time, booze and a friendly competition. What they didn’t expect is the Elder showing up. Also, the said Elder turned out to be very proficient in the art of gaming… and _very_ competitive.

In the end, victory was split even between Arthur, Anna and Danse. Anna at first thought that other competitors were slightly intimidated at the prospect of beating the Elder. But as empty bottles piled up on the tables and couches, she dismissed the thought.

Arthur just liked gaming. And he was good at it, too. Danse, on the other hand…

“Beginner’s luck,” muttered she, kicking an unfortunate can that had happened to come under her foot. Danse shrugged, beaming. He never played a game in his life.

Unlike her and Arthur.

“Come on! Faster! FASTER!” “I’m ON IT!” “No, NO! The other way, no, FUCK!” “Shit, shit, shit, SHIT.” “Get in, do it now!” “Almost there! Almost!” “Yes! Do it! You got it! Yes!” “I… Aaaargh!” “Oh, fuck!” “That was so close!”

No, that was _not_ what the crew was thinking. It was them playing the Red Menace, or Pipfall, or Zeta Invaders on the rare free evenings.

With the little competition over a few hours ago, they ended up playing the buzzed chess. Which was just like the regular chess, but with all of them slightly drunk and in various state of undress. The pieces ended up knocked off and dropped a lot more often as well.

“So, I guess, congrats on the win, Elder,” Anna settled back on the table after Arthur and Danse reset the chess.

“I guess you too, Knight,” he answered, looking quite smug.

Danse sighed, sitting beside them. “Seriously?”

“Hey, Danse, it’s not our problem if you don’t really like gaming,” Anna elbowed him in the ribs, still annoyed that he had managed somehow reach the same score.

“Where are we going to put the prize?”

“I know just the spot.”

“Perfect. Bring it by after we are done here, would you?” Arthur made the first move with his pawn, only then noticing that Anna cocked her head to the side.

“Bring what by? You had it last.”

There was a pause.

“No, I gave it to you.”

“I don’t think so!”

“I handed it to you right after we got it!”

“And when we got to the command deck you had it!”

“Yes, but you were the one showing it to the crew!”

“… I never should have let you hold it!”

Danse quietly left Arthur’s quarters before the two ever finished arguing, still in the process of turning over everything that wasn’t nailed to the floor in search of their little prize.

He undressed, climbed into the bed, looked at his bedside table where a tiny silver model of the Prydwen was sitting, and smiled to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dXj67VXjwU). A Tumblr minifill for [tess1978](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tess1978/pseuds/tess1978).


	3. Falling Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Falling Star,
> 
> in which Arthur and Anna look at the night sky (shameless fluff).
> 
> F!Sole/Arthur Maxson from the [Silver and Steel](http://archiveofourown.org/series/446311) series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr minifill for [MidnightMoonCat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightMoonCat/pseuds/MidnightMoonCat).

When Anna stepped out of the Vault, she wasn’t prepared for a lot of things. Like mutated bloodthirsty animals. Devastation. Terrible hygiene and overall horrific standards of living.

But she was also not prepared for the night sky.

Back before the war, the world was ablaze with lights. The night never really came to the civilized areas, which was most of the country. Electric light killed the darkness, making it appear safe and secure. Letting people have more hours in the day to spend time doing what they liked, instead of going to sleep with the sunset.

But pre-war people had lost something in return, she realized, when she looked into the night sky through the holes in the roof of her old house. They lost the stars, so many stars.

On her first night, she dragged her mattress out of her old house and out in the open and looked into the sky until she fell asleep.

She had never seen the Milky Way before the world died. The pale glow of their home galaxy was always outdone by the man-made lights.

The light, outshadowed. Ironic, yet true.

Anna laid back and stretched on the flat roof of the Greygarden, then tucked her hands under her head.

“You know any constellations?” She asked, looking up. It was so beautiful.

“Some.”

She reached out and pulled Arthur down to lay beside her.

“I can barely find Polaris. Wait, no. I can’t find Polaris… there is just too many stars. Uh…”

He looked puzzled when she threw a sideway glance at him.

“What?”

“There couldn’t have been that much difference in the sky back in your time.”

“Oh, Arthur. You have no idea.”

He gently took her hand in his and pointed her to a bright point in the night sky that was flickering lightly because of some barely visible cloud wisps.

“There is Polaris. And if you look down from it you can find Ursa Minor. It looks kind of like a ladle. To the right from that one is Ursa Major, looks pretty much the same but a lot bigger. Right over there. They move around all year but never disappear.”

He moved her hand to the different point in the sky.

“And there are the Pleiades. A group of bright ones? And over there, to the side is the Cygnus…”

She wasn’t looking at the stars. She was looking at him. At moments like this, he was… different. Open. Like he was a completely new person. The gleam in his eyes; the childlike wonder, the fascination. His voice was a lot softer, too.

At this moment, he wasn’t a Brotherhood soldier. He wasn’t the Elder. He wasn’t even a Maxson, shouldering the burden of his entire dynasty.

Just a young man, talking about the things that he loved.

“… and that fuzzy spot is Andromeda. Another galaxy.”

That was when he looked at her.

“You aren’t listening.”

Anna shook her head, smiling softly. She pulled their hands down and brought his palm to her face, planting a light kiss on his fingertips before pressing them over her heart.

His arms were around her in a moment, cradling her against his chest. Arthur smelled like leather and metal, with a hint of salt and sweat underneath, and she inhaled his scent deeply, closing her eyes.

She could stay like this forever.

A weird howling sound broke the serene silence of the night, making both of them jerk up. Something was falling, crossing the sky. A plume of smoke trailed behind the object, a meteorite? It crashed down not too far from the Greygarden, and five seconds later they heard the sound, a loud boom resonating over them.

“What…”

“You saw it too, right?…”

Arthur nodded, still looking in the direction of the crash. It seemed like there was a distant fire in the woods. He caught her eye, and Anna grinned, nodding slightly.

They both jumped up and ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over themselves as they grabbed their weapons they left lying around the house. Arthur pulled on his armored coat while Anna grabbed the backpack and her Pip-Boy from the table.

Fastening the device on her wrist, she turned the map on.

“Oberland Station is right in that direction. I know the way!”

Less than a minute later they were sprinting south. Darkness of the night, the people said. But Anna knew now, there was no true darkness out here in the open. The starlight was more than enough to go by, and it was a beautiful sight.


	4. The Big Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Big Secret
> 
> in which Danse learns how to win Dogmeat's heart.
> 
> F!Sole/Paladin Danse from the [Silver and Steel](http://archiveofourown.org/series/446311) series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr minifill for [antioxident](https://antioxident.tumblr.com/).

“Wait a minute? Are you… _jealous_?”

“No!”

But the look on Danse’s face told Anna otherwise. The Paladin was grim, staring at the dirty Castle wall, streaked with bird droppings. Starting at it intensely, as if trying to burn a hole through it.

Behind him, Dogmeat kept prancing around Preston Garvey. As soon as they walked in, her shepherd charged at the man, jumping in his arms and licking his face. Preston laughed, trying to dodge the tongue, but he’d rather have had a wet face than having to drop Dogmeat.

Aside from Anna herself, Dogmeat loved Preston the most. And, apparently, Danse was not okay with that. Anna grinned.

Paladin had a bowl in his quarters on the Prydwen, for the cat, he said. The said cat would come by almost every day, but never stay, for so was the nature of those little tigers. Still, Danse would clean and refill the bowl regularly, even though the cat never showed any sign of gratitude.

When she and Dogmeat came along, it was another story. Dogs love anyone who would feed them, pretty much. And Dogmeat was never shy at showing his affection for the lonely Paladin. Cue cuddles in the bed and warms licks in the face for a wake up call.

Anna was happy to let them do that. Danse just loved animals, it was nice to see him so happy.

Except now Dogmeat found a better person to pester. Anna shook her head and elbowed Danse, even though in his power armor he would notice it by the sound rather than a feel.

“Hey, he loves everybody. Don’t get mad if he just missed another human.”

“I’m fine.”

 _Yeah, right._ While Dogmeat loved everybody, it was pretty obvious that he didn’t love everyone equally. But Anna knew how to fix that.

She chuckled and sat down beside her backpack. Danse watched as she flipped the bag, emptying it, and a surprising amount of stuff came rolling out of a relatively small space. She dug through a small pile of junk for a while and finally found a small carton box. She beamed at him.

“Here you go. That’s Preston’s big secret.”

‘Mr.Wooff’s Doggie Treat’, the box said.

“Just don’t give him the whole box. One by one, as a reward for something. And he is guaranteed to love you till death do part you.”

A love potion for a dog, that’s what it was. To find one of those treats was a rare luck, since for some reason not that many had survived the apocalypse. But seeing the bright smile on Danse’s face was worth it.  



	5. Just Give Me a Wink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Give Me a Wink
> 
> in which some deals are made.
> 
> F!Sole/Paladin Danse from the [Silver and Steel](http://archiveofourown.org/series/446311) series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr fill for [MidnightMoonCat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightMoonCat/pseuds/MidnightMoonCat)

“Hey, what’s that?”

Diamond City had its fare share of travelers. Some were like her, mercenaries. Anna liked the word, to be completely honest, though she never used it when describing her… line of work. Didn’t change the reality of what she was doing.

Some were settlers, and she had seen a lot of those too, all across the Commonwealth. Though settlers coming to Diamond City - could be shortened to D.C., she mused, the ‘capital’ of former Massachusetts - were a different sort. Young, hopeful, ambitious. They didn’t come to this old stadium to plant crops. Those were the kids who grew up out in the Wasteland and hoped to find a better life and better future in the ‘big’ city. Hoped to find their fortune.

Some things never change.

And there were traders. Diamond City had the biggest market all across the Commonwealth. And while Sanctuary started getting regular visits from the caravans, it was all local. Traders from outside of the Commonwealth were all coming to the great green jewel.

Maybe one day that would different, but it was not this day.

The trader whose goods she was browsing was an unremarkable middle-aged man. His face was sunburnt and streaked with dust, and his shoes had clearly walked too many roads. He smiled broadly at her, showing a few missing teeth.

“Good eye! That’s a genuine NCR ranger armor piece, ma’am! Won’t find anything like this, not this side o’ the continent!”

“What’s ‘NCR’?”

“New California Republic, ‘f course!” the man stared at her with mild disbelief, “don’ tell me you never ‘eard o' us.”

“I’m new to the area,” shrugged Anna, picking up the armor piece. It seemed sturdy and reliable. Scratched up in a few places, it had clearly seen some use. “Where’d you get this?”

“A retirin’ ranger in need o' caps sold it to me. Brought it down the Jet Road, all the way from the Hub.”

“The… Jet Road?”

“Jesus, lady, were livin’ under a rock or somethn’?”

“Good guess.”

Anna pulled down her tattered scarf, where a blue Vault suit was sticking out from under the road leathers. The man rolled his eyes.

“Dam’ vault dwellers. Look, the Jet Road is… well, a road. Goin’ all the way from the Hub through the NCR to New Vegas to Chicago to the Commonwealth, through the Pitt and to the Capital Wasteland. First folks started haulin’ Jet to the East, then other

goods came along, not only chems. Weapons, ammo, supplies, up and down the road. But the name kinda stuck.”

“So, like the Silk Road?”

“What the hell is ‘silk’?”

Danse sighed. They only stopped at Diamond City to get some ammo from Rodriguez. But now Anna was stuck with this trader from the West, and it looked like another lesson on pre-war life was about to begin.

Her previous spat with Moe Cronin about the rules of baseball had the guards looking nervous. Danse was just happy they didn’t go for the swatters.

“Look, lady, you buyin’ or not?”

Anna inspected the piece more thoroughly. It seemed to be in pretty good condition… then her eyes fell on a leather duster, laying nearby.

“Those are from the same set,” the trader said, noticing her interest, “It’s in good shape, too! Down to the bear.”

He poked the coat on the shoulder where a rearing bear insignia was still visible. Anna chewed her lip, before giving up. She threw the coat on over her clothes and smoothed it over.

“Making it hard for me here. I do love me some stylish coat.”

Danse snorted behind her, making Anna look back over her shoulder. She shot him a murderous glare before turning back to the merchant.

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll take it all.”

“Three-fifty for the armor, two for the coat.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You’re joking, right.”

“Hey, lady, the sun’s goin’ down and I got to get to the next place before light’s out. You buyin’ this or not?”

“Look, you said yourself that the armor is old. It has some wear and tear, scratches and the like. Who knows how good it really is in combat! And the coat has _bullet holes_ in it!”

The man groaned.

“Fine! Four-fifty for the whole thing, just… fine!”

Anna immediately produced a couple of pouches of caps, and it was clear she had more than enough to buy the armor at it original price. She grinned at the merchant.

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

She gave the man a mocking old-fashioned salute and was walking off to the other side of the market with the coat still on and the armor piece in hand before the man could say anything.

“Rodriguez!” She jumped up to the gunshop stand, smiling broadly, “I need-”

“Sorry, sunshine, I’m closing.”

Anna grabbed him by the wrist. “Come on, I just need-”

“Closed! Look, I got to get home, my kids-”

“You don’t have any kids and you live behind your damn shop!”

Rodriguez detached himself from her grip and stepped back, shaking his head.

“I’m telling you, I’m closed, come tomorrow!”

He retreated back hastily, closing the door behind him. The hurried shuffling behind the thin wall was pretty apparent. Anna groaned and showed her middle finger to the door.

“Asshole.”

“It’s not his fault we tend to show up here pretty late,” shrugged Danse, “doesn’t help that you keep calling him that. Maybe he has some stuff to do.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Look, we wouldn’t be able to get far today anyway. And I’d rather sleep on a normal bed than on the road. We’ll set out in the morning after Rodriguez opens his shop again so we can get some ammo.”

“Oh alright. Fine,” she walked out of the marketplace and turned towards Kellogg’s house, past the dark alley where Valentine’s detective agency sign glowed bright pink.

Danse followed her, watching her new coat flapping behind her gently. It was worn and a bit ragged, peppered with bullet holes, but there was something undeniably appealing about it.

Rangers of the West coast certainly had a sense of style.

Leaving his power armor at the docking station outside the house, Danse took out the fusion core. Something he learned to do a long time ago after he and Cutler had gotten drunk and somehow lost an entire suit of power armor.

What was worse, they were just at the time Initiates and were not supposed to have that armor anyway…

Inside, he found Anna, already popping open a can of Pork n’ Beans with her knife. She dumped the contents into a small pot on the hotplate, scraping everything from the inside with her blade. And then she licked her knife, tasting some of the sauce.

Somehow, that was enough to make Danse shiver.

She was humming some song from the radio when Danse came up behind her.

“I like the coat,” he said quietly. Anna turned back to him with a bright smile.

“It’s pretty badass, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

Standing this close, she had to look up to him, even though she herself was not a short woman. Danse’s fingers traced the lapels of the duster, pulled her tattered scarf off and grazed her neck and the underside of her jaw.

“Take it off.”

She pursed her lips, looking offended.

“No! I just got it! I want to revel in its awesomeness.”

“You heard me. Take. It. Off.”

His tone changed, dropping lower. He could feel her swallow at the words, his fingers still lingering on the tender skin under her jaw.

Anna let the coat slip off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor without another word.

“Good. Now the rest of it too.”

Her road leathers had a lot more layers than his uniform, so by the time she dropped the last piece - her Vault suit she wore underneath - to the floor, he was waiting for her, admiring the view. Anna wasn’t being playful when she undressed, but she held his gaze as she was doing it, and it made a quick act of disrobing in one hell of a turn on.

She looked down only once, taking in a look of his straining cock, and her lips parted dreamily, before curling into a wicked smile.

He lifted her head back up with his fingers, making her meet his gaze. Anna had a mischievous spark in her eyes. She stood up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his nose, and he couldn’t help but smile. His arms were around her in a moment, holding her against his body, and he leaned in to kiss her.

She would have a new scar on her shoulder - a stray raider bullet had grazed her. It was still healing, and his hand caressed it lightly before he bent down to press his lips to it.

Anna sighed when his lips traveled up her to neck.

Danse lifted her up on the table, setting himself between her legs. Her skin was cool to the touch, despite the warm spring weather outside and layers of clothing she was wearing before. His hands slipped down her body, finding her breasts. They fit in his palms easily, and he gave them a gentle squeeze.

Her long legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer. Her heels were pressing into his ass, spurring him on, but Danse shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“You’re not going to hurt me,” whispered Anna. Her hands closed around his face and she nuzzled into his hair, “I’m not made of glass.”

That was enough. While he liked it rough, he was always cautious with Anna, holding back. Taking time. She always looked so fragile.

But he should have known better. Despite being build light, she was strong, and she could withstand a lot. Anna was a different woman from the one he had met all this time ago. She was tempered into steel by the wasteland, bending without breaking.

His hands were on her hips in a second, dragging her on the very edge of the table, and with a single deep thrust he filled her to the brink. Danse bit her neck at the same time, hard enough to leave a mark, and she cried out in pain and pleasure.

“Don’t hold back. Don’t…”

Her words cut off into a wordless cry when he started moving, ramming deep into her with powerful thrusts. Growling through clenched teeth, Danse set a merciless pace and felt her clenching around him in response.

Pushing her on the back, he took her wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. His other hand traveled up her body, taking a quick stop to play with her breast, but slip up higher, going over her throat.

He pressed down, eliciting a gasp from her before her air was cut off. There was something unbelievably erotic in having her in his control like this, and his hips snapped forward with especially powerful thrust.

His hand released her, letting her get some air, letting her moan and whine under him as he got a hold of her hip with his now free hand to get a better leverage.

She was trying to get her arms out of his hold now, writhing under him. Her moans were getting desperate, needy. Oh, he knew what she wanted.

“Shh… you want the entire Diamond City to know that you are being fucked?” He teased her. Anna let out a high-pitched keen, pushing herself up to meet his thrusts.

“Please, Danse! Just let me come, please…”

“Only because you ask nicely…”

His fingers trailed her inner thigh for a bit before sliding down to the wet heat of her pussy. She arched into him when he pressed his fingers over the sensitive nub of flesh, rubbing it with force.

They would be lucky if the guards wouldn’t come breaking down the door at the cry she gave when she came undone around his cock, quivering heat sucking him in even deeper, if that was even possible.

It didn’t take long for him to finish too, and he pulled out, spilling on her stomach. He let go of her, leaning on the table for support. Panting, her reached out to grab his discarded undershirt and wiped her clean.

Then he sniffed the air, noticing the smell of something burning.

“Oh, shit.”

They forgot about the Pork n’ Beans on the hotplate. Danse hastily took it off, using the same undershirt as a mitt, but there was no salvaging it.

“Well, there goes the dinner.”

Anna was cackling with laughter. Danse shook his head, putting the pot away before opening a window to let some of the smell out.

She slid down from the table and walked up to him. Her hands pressed against his chest, and she pushed him towards a lonely armchair, sitting in the middle of the secret room. He bumped into it and took a hint, sitting down, and Anna climbed on top of him, smiling.

“Forget it. Takahashi’s noodle stand is open all night long. It’s not like he needs sleep.”

 

Anna knocked on a wall by the Commonwealth Weaponry, smiling broadly. Rodriguez winked at her.

“Hey there, Arturo.”

“Hey there, sunshine. I take it, it went well.”

“Yeah, about that. You do know I didn’t mean any of that, right?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve heard worse.”

Early morning was crawling over the walls of the Diamond City. Danse was packing up some stuff back in the house while Anna went to get ammo from Rodriguez.

“But, seriously, thanks.”

“Anytime. Whenever you need another excuse, just give me a wink.”

“Maybe not for some time now. He might catch on.”

“Whatever you say. And about that ammo... The usual, right?”

“Yep.”


	6. Call Me The Wanderer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Call Me The Wanderer
> 
> in which Arthur can't dance.
> 
> F!Sole/Arthur Maxson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr minifill for anonymous.

“… but, ah, life in the Commonwealth!”

The radio made a loud clattering sound.

“AAAAaargh! I got to put the music closer to the mic! Aaargh, STUPID!”

Anna cackled at the mental image of Travis in his little studio, panicking again, this time over the knocked over recordings. She found the guy hilarious.

“I don’t know how you can stand him,” said Arthur, as if reading her mind. He scowled at the radio, where Travis still chattered nervously, no doubt trying to find some chems to take his mind off the recent event. “He’s the reason I’m not listening to the  
Diamond City Radio. He’s terrible.”

“He’s alright. But he has some great songs there.”

After some shuffling, Travis apparently found some fitting recording. Jolly music came pouring out of the speaker. Anna smiled. That was her favorite song, and she started swaying gently from side to side with the rhythm, humming the tune under her breath.

_“Oh, well, I’m the type of guy who will never settle down…”_

“What are you doing?”

“Dancing,” a devilish grin appeared on her face. “Come on, Arthur. Wanna dance?”

“I don’t…”

“Yes you do! I know you do, you were pretty good!”

“But I…”

Despite his weak protests, she dragged him up from the chair. This was, of course, very different from the only other time he danced with her, but she thought he’d get into it.

To be completely fair, it resembled a ritual dance around a totem, with Anna doing the dancing and Arthur merely turning towards her when she changed direction, his back straight and stiff.

Though his gaze was glued to her swaying hips. She smiled and took his hands in hers, pulling and pushing on them with the rhythm. She got him to slowly start moving with the music, but just barely.

_“'Cause I’m a wanderer_

_Yeah, a wanderer…”_

“You’re pretty terrible at this.”

Arthur shrugged. “I never said I was good.”

“So… I see. You don’t even try when you aren’t interested.”

The music changed. It was deep and playful, completely different. The voice, purring the song, was also very, very familiar.

_“Took a walk_

_Out in the fens_

_Had a talk with a man about some chems…”_

“Alright. Let’s try this again,” Anna cocked her head to the side. Her hand tugged on the zipper of her jumpsuit, opening it down to her belt. Arthur raised his eyebrow, and she pulled her clothes apart, swaying with the music. Her lips mouthed the words with Magnolia on the radio.

_“He asked me what’s your flavor_

_I said I need a favor_

_I’m a little short on caps but_

_I’m a_ good good _neighbor…”_


	7. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interlude,
> 
> in which Arthur doesn't know what to do.
> 
> F!Sole/Arthur Maxson, set in [The Last Dance](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6937372/chapters/15903616) chapter, between Anna’s return to the Prydwen and the morning muster after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr minifill for anonymous.

Arthur was avoiding his newly appointed Sentinel all day. Whenever he thought he heard her voice, he walked in the opposite direction. He never thought she would actually return, not after what happened with Danse, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.  
So he did the best thing he could think of - pretend that nothing happened. But of course, everyone knew that she had left him.

That was exactly why fraternization was frowned upon. If it doesn’t work out, it leads to all sorts of awkwardness, hindering the efficiency. His relationship with Anna was rather short-lived, barely over six months long before they split up. And then she was gone.

Consumed in his thoughts, he almost collided with someone stepping into the narrow hallway. The person dodged easily, however, and of course it was her. Arthur took a deep breath, facing his former lover.

They looked at each other in silence. Anna had her new uniform in hand. Her face was calm and collected, but her eyes were cold.

He knew she came here for a reason. Knowing her, it was nothing good. The dark flame in her eyes was familiar to him. He saw it in his own eyes way too often, and its name was vengeance.

“Elder,” she ducked past him, breaking eye contact, and walked away too fast for it to look casual.

It _hurt_.

She was so close, but they might have as well been a galaxy away. She chose Danse, Arthur reminded himself. She chose a synth, and she chose the Minutemen. She said no to his offer to travel to Capital Wasteland.

Anna didn’t come back to him. She came back for him.

As he sat in the mess hall that evening, having his dinner, he could feel her eyes on him. It made his skin crawl. The other people were quick to retreat from the mess, feeling the tension. Trying to avoid the crossfire. Even the cook tried to make himself as small as possible behind his counter.

Arthur was stealing glances at her over his report. She didn’t even touch her food. This couldn’t get any worse, he thought. She was planning something.

And, despite knowing her well, Arthur couldn’t for the life of him guess what she had in mind.

When he was the first one to leave the mess hall, he told himself he wasn’t the one running away. He had things to do, reports to sort through, assignments to plan. Though with the Institute defeated, the urgency was no longer there.

Later that night he stepped out of his room to get to Teagan’s cage, since his supply of whiskey was running dangerously low, and found Anna opening the door to her room. She turned her head at the sound of his steps, her eyes narrowing slightly. Without acknowledging him, she took a step forward and reached out to close the door behind her.

“Sentinel.”

Anna stopped but refused to face him this time.

Arthur didn’t know what to say now. She was waiting for him to speak, and her right foot was bouncing on its ball slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Impatience. She wanted to get away from him, and he could see why.

“I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice,” it was the best thing he could come up with, and it made him cringe inwardly, “what is your game?”

“There is no game. _Elder_.”

Without Kells in between them to mitigate the damage, the silence was painfully awkward. Anna turned, grabbing the door handle, still refusing to look at him. Without waiting for his dismissal, she closed the door behind her, just a touch too forcefully, leaving Arthur to stare at the cold metal.

He slowly walked past his Sentinel’s quarters and headed for the back of the ship. If this was how the next three month were going to go, he would need a lot more whiskey than he had planned.


	8. Say Bye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say Bye,
> 
> in which Arthur learns that Anna is not as strong as she wants to appear.
> 
> Arthur Maxson/F!Sole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr mini fill for [Raiven_Raine](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Raiven_Raine/pseuds/Raiven_Raine).

Listening to Knight-Sergeant Gavil droning on about the supplies was a trying task. Arthur flipped through another page, mentally cursing Teagan who fell… _sick_. Again.

He swore to himself to have a talk with the man. Drinking was one thing, but this was becoming debilitating and interfered with his duties as a Proctor. He might need to appoint a replacement. Groaning internally, Arthur skimmed over the page. Vacuum tubes… focus on the vacuum tubes.

Finally, they’ve reached the last page. By that time Arthur was asleep on his feet.

“Yes, send a copy of your report to me, Knight-Sergeant. Keep up the good work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rubbing his face, Arthur walked out of the airport building towards the ruined flight field, breathing in salty ocean breeze. It helped to clear his head after the stuffy warehouse.

He took a moment, listening to the whispering of the water against the rock and sand.

There was another sound. An unmistakable sound of a child’s gurgle. Arthur looked around. There were only a few children in the Brotherhood, and those young enough to make those sounds were, of course, left back in the Citadel.

He carefully stepped closer, trying to make as little sound as possible. There was also a male voice talking.

“... but even so I know our best days are yet to come. There will be changes sure, things we'll need to adjust to. I'll rejoin the civilian workforce, you'll shake the dust off your law degree.”

Anna was sitting on a broken metal pipe, holding her Pip-Boy. Soft golden glow from the device fell on her face, erasing the signs of weariness she came to have over the last few months, going in and out of the dangerous missions.

“But everything we do, no matter how hard, we do it for our family.”

That was when he heard a sob that wasn’t coming from a holotape. Anna’s fingers caressed the screen as the child on the recording made a happy, content noise and giggled.

“Now say goodbye Shaun.”

Shaun. He knew that name. Anna would murmur it in her sleep sometimes. He didn’t know who it belonged to, but assumed it was her husband’s, and it pained him. But he was wrong, that was not her husband. It was her lost son.

“Bye bye? Say bye bye?”

More gurgling. More quiet sobbing.

“Bye bye,” he heard a broken whisper, “bye bye sweetie.”

“Bye honey! We love you.”

The tape clicked and fell silent. Arthur was still, afraid to move. He could see from where he was standing that Anna took out the orange holotape out of the Pip-Boy, but hesitated. After a moment, she put it back again and hit the play button, listening to the voices of her lost family one more time.

While she was distracted by them, he left his hiding spot quietly and pretended that he was coming closer just now, making his steps loud and clear. He saw her fumbling with the tape, quickly ejecting it and hiding it in the pocket.

“Arthur?” She turned away, quickly wiping her face with a sleeve. “I didn’t see you coming.”

He walked up closer, sitting down on the pipe next to her.

“Why are you crying?”

“I… ah. There… there were some news from the settlements. A… a raider gang wiped them out. I was just…”

Arthur nodded, not pressing the question. His arm wrapped around her narrow shoulders, pulling her closer. There was no doubt in his mind she knew that he knew she was lying. Anna was usually better at coming up with random stories, but today was not the day.

But she would tell him when she is ready.


	9. Where's the Rum?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's the Rum?
> 
> in which Anna takes a break with her friends and teaches Curie bad stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Tumblr minifill for [MidnightMoonCat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightMoonCat/pseuds/MidnightMoonCat) and [Kicker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kicker/pseuds/Kicker).

“No, no, _no_. Don’t let it show on your pretty face! That’s why you need sunglasses, sweetheart!”

“But ze room is dark enough. It might strain my eyes.”

“I swear, even I don’t have the heart to play on the money with her. And that’s sayin’ somethn.”

“Like I would let ye. Piss off, Hancock.”

“Whoa, now what did I do?”

Cait poked him in the chest, focusing her eyes with some difficulty.

“I saw yer doin’ things… things with yer hand!”

“Well, that depends. Was I dressed?”

“I think she means those,” Anna crept up behind the ghoul and tugged at his frilly sleeve. A few extra cards came pouring out. Hancock shrugged nonchalantly.

“It ain’t fun when you ain’t cheatin’.”

“We’re trying to teach the lady here. And spoiler alert, she’s hopeless.” Said Deacon, shuffling the deck. Anna insisted he was wearing a sleeveless shirt… though she had a nagging suspicion he was still finding a way to cheat.

 _No one_ would get a royal flush three times in a row.

As if reading her thoughts Deacon gave her a _look_ over his dark sunglasses, accompanied with a wiggle of an eyebrow for the full effect. She rolled her eyes.

_Try and catch me, Charmer._

Curie rubbed her eyes and sighed.

“I do not understand. It is a card game. Ze rules are clear. Why are you trying to make it hard?”

“No, Curie,” Anna sat down by her side and ruffled her short hair, “it is a lying game. We’ve been over this before.”

“But…”

“Look, sweetheart, you need to improve those skills if you’re going to stay out of the Institute’s way! That’s why we play poker.” Deacon pulled a card out of the deck. Three of clubs, flashing it for a moment. He stuffed it in the middle of the deck, shuffled it, then fanned the cards in his hand, dropped them on the table and with a theatrical flick of a wrist he produced the very same card from the pile and showed it again.

Curie watched him with her mouth open. Deacon pulled another card from behind her collar and winked.

“Here,” Hancock took off his tricorn and put it on Curie’s head, “look down when you look at the cards so yer face is hidden.”

“Pro tip, sunglasses are still the best option.”

“Well then get her some, jackass.”

 

“What’s with the tricorns anyway?“ Deacon tried to take the General’s hat off Anna’s head but got his hand smacked. “Ouch! Making us hatless folk jealous here.”

“Then get yourself one. Hard to believe you don’t have one already.”

“ _I_ don’t have a pirate kink.”

“Do I look like a fuckin’ pirate?”

“Well,” Deacon gestured at a bottle in her hand. At the knee high leather boots with flaps, resting on the table. At the old-fashioned coat. At the mean scowl. At the tricorn again.

Anna blew a giant pink bubble with her gum and popped it in his face.

“Don’t see it. Now _Hancock_ is another matter.”

“Ey, that ain’t no pirate costume.” he actually looked offended. Well, he would be, if not for the artistic gesture of pressing his palm to his chest in shock.

“Ye punks ain’t know shite ‘bout some decent piratin’!”

Cait jumped on top of the table and proceeded to show just what she meant by it by chugging her glass of whiskey without even the slightest cringe. And it was some bad whiskey. Curie squeaked when a bottle tipped over under Cait’s foot and spilled its contents all over her.

“Reeeeally?” Deacon, Hancock and Anna grinned at each other.

_Never tell us what we can’t do. Because we’ll do it._

“Well do show us, ye fair Irishwoman,” Deacon saluted her with his mug.

“I do believe we should get some sleep, zis is quite a destructive behavior…”

“Oh no, Curie. We are just gettin’ started…”

 

“Weigh-hay and up she rises, weigh-hay and up she rises, weigh-hay and up she rises, earlay in the morning!”

Couches were moved together, a mast was made out of an old curtain rod, a sail from torn blanket. The spy and the mayor were sitting on the ‘nose’ of the ship, hugging and swaying from side to side in rhythm.

“What will we do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor, what will we do with a drunken sailor, earlay in the morning?”

Somehow Hancock’s hat moved to Deacon’s head. Probably without Curie ever noticing. The synth girl was sprawled across the couch, trying to focus her eyes.

“I feel’… odd. Is that… intogs… intox… intozitocation?”

“Weigh-hay and up she rises…”

“You got it, sister!” Grinning, Anna poured a bit more into Curie’s glass, spilling some of it on the couch.

"I feel... funny."

"That's how you know it's working!"

“Weigh-hay!” yelled Cait in Anna’s ear, a bit too late.

“Put ‘em in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him, put ‘em in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him, put ‘em in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him, earlay in the morning!”

“Ey, Cait, whazza fuck is ‘scuppers’?

“Helluva I know?”

“Put him in the brig until he’s sober, put him in the brig until he’s sober, put him in the brig until he’s sober, earlay in the morning!”

“I see you kids are havin’ fun. Could hear that all the way from the Diamond City.”

Heads turned towards Nick Valentine. Detective grinned at the sight.

“Careful now. Piper fixed a pre-war camera with Sturges’ help, she’s armed and dangerous. If she gets a whiff of this, you’re never livin’ it down.”

“Oi I thought I ‘eard the old man say, leave her Johnny, leave her! Tomorrow ye will get yer pay and it’s time fer us to leave her!” Cait just kept going.

“Well, your dedicated driver is here,” Nick lit up a cigarette and smirked at them, “sorta.”

“But daaad…” Anna fell backward on the couch and stared at him with her best puppy eyes, “five more minutes.”

“Mon… monsieur Valentine! I never noticed how pretty your eyes are…”

“Leave her Johnny, leave her!”

“I betcha you had more than enough. Come on, ladies.”

“And just to be clear,” Deacon untangled himself from Hancock and turned around, barely keeping his balance, “that by ‘ladies’ you mean Cait too?…”

“Leave her Johnny, leave her!”

“Unfortunately, I do.”

“Well… then I guess this is a good luck?”

“Leave her Johnny, leave her!!”

 

When Hancock came back to it at about noon next day, it would have been nothing out of the ordinary. Except that Fahrenheit was snickering by the window and his nethers were a bit drafty.

Well, the last one may not have been out of the ordinary too, but for Fahrenheit to find something amusing? Now that was friggin’ _strange_.

“Whazza fuck is happenin’ there?”

Fahrenheit grinned and motioned him to come closer. With some difficulty, Hancock detached himself from the mattress, finding a morning shot of jet to give himself some kick in the ass.

“Ahhh, ain’t this better… now what the…”

Hancock stopped, squinting. Fahrenheit burst into a roaring laughter, looking at his face.

“Issat my shirt?… ISSAT MY HAT?”

Down below, Deacon waved his tricorn at him and bowed, almost tipping over. Hancock’s worn red jacket was sitting a bit loose on his shoulders, and he had found himself an eye patch somewhere.

“Now what will we do with a drunken sailor?..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sea Shanties from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Specifically, Drunken Sailor and Leave Her Johnny.


End file.
